Lea Ryan's splendiferous journal of semi-coherent ramblings

Books for Kids

Desmond Winters in the Realms of the Caged Sun

When twelve-year-old Desmond and his friends are trapped in a bookshop, they’re faced with a choice: either wait in the dark and hope someone eventually comes to their rescue or follow a stranger down a secret tunnel, into a world filled with strange creatures and danger at every turn.

In order to get back home, Desmond must journey to the caged sun and retrieve the starlight he and his friends need to save the shopkeeper’s life. They’ll have to learn to work together if they want to survive.

Desmond Winters in the Realms of the Caged Sun is a great read for middle-grade kids ages 9-12 and fans of fantasy books like Chronicles of Narnia and Harry Potter.

Desmond Winters and the Ghosts of Arbolettis

Months have passed since Desmond’s first adventure in the Realms of the Caged Sun. Regular life seems boring, and all he can think about is getting back to the place that makes him feel like so much more than a regular kid.

When a stranger bursts into the bookstore with news, it isn’t good. She has come in search of the one person, who can stop the corruption that’s killing creatures and plants in the realms, the one person among them, who is capable of wielding death magic.

Once again, Desmond and his friends will find themselves caught up in the danger of the realms. They managed to survive their first trip. Will their luck hold out?

Beneath Oceans of Sky

The population of the Near
Grows by one every year.
Oceans of sky, mountains of bone,
Take care, children,
Not to find yourself alone

Three days before Christmas, Aurora wakes up in a strange bed in a meadow, beneath a sky that looks like an ocean. She doesn’t know where she is, only that she fell asleep in her bed and woke up somewhere else.

A bobcat named Yule and a wolf named Woe appear nearby, and they offer to take her to their king and queen. They don’t seem trustworthy, but what other choice does she have? Along the way, Aurora learns that she’s a jundhela, a weaver of windows that offer a view of what’s happening back in her world. Yule and Woe insist she ignore them and move on.

When they finally arrive at Lonesome Castle, Aurora discovers a battlefield of steam-powered robot soldiers fighting. The king and queen each want Aurora to join their side.

Aurora’s only hope is to find a boy named Dusk and convince him to help. One way or another, she must find her way home.